A dedication ceremony Tuesday, July 20, will celebrate the new swim dock and memorial bench at the Cross Lake Recreation Area.

The 9 a.m. event at the swim dock in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Crosslake Campgrounds will recognize the corps’ partnership with the Greater Crosslake Area Foundation and the Whitefish Chain Yacht Club to build the dock. Campers use the dock, and it serves as the site of swimming lessons the yacht club offers.

A $3,495 gift from Greater Crosslake Area Foundation together with a $3,495 gift from the Whitefish Chain Yacht Club helped defray costs of the swimming dock for the corps.

The bench honors the memory of Crosslake resident Chris Monroe, who died of breast cancer in 2019. Monroe contributed to the future of Crosslake through her work as co-chair of the Crosslakers and other volunteer work, a news release said.

Speakers at the dedication ceremony include Corrine Hodapp, supervisory park ranger at the Cross Lake Recreation Area; Bonnie Coffey, vice commodore of the Whitefish Chain Yacht Club; Bob Perkins, president of the Greater Crosslake Area Foundation; and Bill Monroe, Chris Monroe’s husband.

The schedule for those attending includes arriving about 8:45 a.m. at the campgrounds parking area near the Pine River Dam at the intersection of Crow Wing County highways 3 and 66. The parking area near the campground offices is reserved for the Monroe family, with others parking as directed or as space is available. From there, the group will walk to the swim dock area on the north end of the campground.

In case of threatening weather, the date will be changed to 9 a.m. Thursday, July 22.

For more information, contact Hodapp at 651-290-5790, Coffey at bjcoffey@me.com or John Forney at 952-956-4014 or jwforney@gmail.com .

Visit greatercrosslake.org or facebook.com/greatercrosslake for more information on the Greater Crosslake Area Foundation. Visit wcyc.info for more information on the Whitefish Chain Yacht Club. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y7usetb3 for more information on the Cross Lake Recreation Area.

More about Monroe

Chris Monroe's love for the Crosslake area ran deep.

She enjoyed the lakes in all the ways she could - by pontoon, personal watercraft or kayak, she admired the natural beauty of the blue waters. Sunsets on the lake in particular brought her peace, said her husband, Bill Monroe. Upon her untimely death, Bill bestowed a gift upon the Greater Crosslake Area Foundation in her memory.

That gift is now supporting a new swimming dock at the Cross Lake Recreation Area, which includes a bench inscribed with her name. The westward facing bench will provide an excellent viewing area for those sunsets Chris so loved.

"She would say, 'Don't do that. I don't like to be the center of attention,'" Bill said in the news release. "But she does deserve to be recognized for her contributions to the Crosslakers and the area. She just did a lot while she was there."

After moving to Crosslake upon retirement, Chris and Bill became involved in the Crosslakers, a volunteer organization working to help improve the community. She served as co-chair of the group, also volunteering with the Crisis Line and serving as the director of the Pequot Lakes Chamber of Commerce.

Before moving from the area after Chris' death, Bill served as a Greater Crosslake Area Foundation board member.

"I really have a love in my heart for the goals of the foundation. I think it's necessary and needed and can do great things for the city of Crosslake," Bill said. "On behalf of Chris' family, both the immediate family and her mother and sister and all her relatives on that side, we are honored that you're thinking about her and it's a wonderful gesture."